Youth Talk

Sometimes, when we look to establish better habits, we focus on what we shouldn’t be doing and plan out our goals accordingly, and this, experts confirm, is why our attempts at quashing unproductive activities often result in failure.

I first came across this idea reading How to do Everything and Be Happy by Peter Jones, a witty, practical guide on how to achieve more of what you want.

In the section dedicated to effective goal making, the author gives the example of how a driver is more likely to end up hitting a tree, if he focused on avoiding it than if he thought of where he should be going instead, stressing that a good approach to kicking bad habits is thinking of what you can do instead of them. You’d be better off aiming to drink more water as opposed to ‘quitting soda’.  

I thought this tip might be helpful with New Year’s around the corner, especially if you’re someone who likes to use the New Year as an opportunity to turn over a new leaf. Resolutions worded positively, and not zoned in on what you should be avoiding, is a little change that goes a long way.